Needle



pri 26, 1932. IA GAGNE NEEDLE Filed July 12. 1927 MTA/5555 INVENTOR. IA0605 7//v @A a/V M ATTORNEY.

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Patented Apr. 26, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEy AUGUSTIN GAGN, OFCENTRAL FALLS, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO HEMPHILL COMPANY, OF CENTRALFALLS, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION F MASSACHU- SETTS NEEDLE Applicationf11edJuly 12, 1927. Serial No. 205,216.

This invention relates to knitting niachines and more particularly t0 animproved needle therefor.

ln the dra-wings:

lig. 1 is a. view in side elevation ofthe needle, the dotted lineposition showing the hook in position to take thread:

Fig. 2 is a similar View but with the latch closing the hook of theneedle to permit the last drawn stitch to be cast ott over the top ofthe needle hook;

his. 3 is a detail perspective view of the latch;

Fig. 4 i's a 4detail perspective View of the stitch drawing portion ofthe needle: and

Fig. 5 is a view in section through the complete-.needle taken on thelille 5-5 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Relerringto the drawings in detail` wherein similar eference charactersdesignate corresponding V'parts throughout the several views, the letterA generally indicates the complete needle.

T he needle A comprises an elongated shank having a butt 11 formed onthe lower end thereof. It is to he noted that the shank 10 is reduced incross section slight-ly above the butt 11 to forma shoulder 12, thepurpose et which wiltbe later described. The extreme upper e'nd of theshank 10 has formed thereon a hook 13 which engages the yarn or yarns,in the usual way. The inner edge ot the shank 1() is provided with anelongated groove l`l:. which opens out at the upper end of the shankadjacent to the hook of the needle. The inner wall of the groove is inthe same plane as the outer surface of the bill of the hook and by sucha construction the latch moves to hook closing position in a straightline without being laterally deiiected. At a point below the transversecenter ot' the shank 10, and above the shoulder 12. the side Walls ofthe groove 1-1 are cut away, so as to provide stop shoulders 15 andthese shoulders are undercut as clearly shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

Connected with the shank 10 is a latch 20', which forms an importantpart of the present invention. This latch includes a longitudinallyextending body or shank 21, which is of substantially the same thicknessas the shank l 10 and has formed on its lower end al1 outwardlyextending short butt 22, the outer end of which terminates in the sameplane as the butt 11 carried by the loop drawing` portion of the needle.Directly inward of the short butt 22 the body 21 has formed thereon aheel 23, the upper face ,of which is beveled inwardly and downwardly asat 24 to correspond to the undercut shoulders 15 formed on the lowerends of the walls ot' the groove 14 of the shank l0. The body 21 hasforn'ied on its inner' edge a guide rib one edge ot' which is beveled asat26 adjacent to its upper end 2T. Adjacent to the upper end of the rib25, a loop retaining shoulder 28 is provided which shoulder constitutesthe extreme upper end of the shank or body 21 and extends atsubstantiallyv right angles to the directions of niovenients of thelatch and loop drawingr members. The guide rib is slidably mountedwithin the guide groove 14, so that the latch will move longitudinallyof the shank 10. In view of the location of the short butt 22 and theheel 23 relative to the shoulders 12 and 15, the movement of the latchon the shank 10 is limited as can be readily understood by referring.,r4to Figs. l and 2. Y

During the knitting` of each course the hook portion of each needle israised from the dotted line position of Fig. 2 to the full line positionof Fig'. '1 when the shoulder 12 engages the lower edge of the latch 20and then the hook portion ot the needle and latch are raised to thedotted line position of Fig. 1. The hook portion of the needle thenmoves down to the full line position of Fig. 2, and during suchdescendin g1 movement. the hook 13 engages a thread or threads and drawsthe same down to a position slightly above the upper edges of adjacentsinkers after which the hook portion of the needle and the latch movedown from the full line position, Fig. 2, to the dotted line position,the intcrengag'ement of the shoulders 15 and 24 causing the latch tomove with the hook portion of the needle. During the last describedmovement of the latch and stitch drawing portion of each needle, thehook portion thereof draws the new course of yarn over the edges of adjacent` sinkers and thereby measures the stitch. While a hook portion ofa needle moves from the dotted line position of Fig. 1 to the dottedline position of Fig. 2, the shoulder 28 provided by the shank or body21 of the latch holds the old stitch and prevents the same from movingdown with the yarnwithin the needle hook as the latter draws the stitch.Without the shoulder 28 the old loop or stitch would tend to move downalong the shank 2l of the latch, the knitted. fabric would not beuniform and ditliculty would be experienced in properly drawing a newstitch through the old. The hereinbefore described relative movements ofthe hook portion of the needle and. latch are controlled by cams whichengage the butts 1l and 22. v

Prior to the knitting of heels and toes, the instep needles are raisedto a position above the heel needles by means of jacks which arepositioned beneath the needles and in the grooves of the needlecylinder, the jacks in turn being raised by Vmeans of an instep cam. Asis customary during the narrowing of the heel and toe pockets, the heeland toe needles are moved up out of action by means of picks acting uponbutts carried by the mentioned jacks; thereafter during the widening ofthe heel and toe pockets widening picks pick down the jacks pertainingto the heel and toe needles which permits their needles to rcsume activeknitting; finally when circular knitting is to be resumed a camdepresses the long butt jacks which are positioned beneath the instepneedles which needles are then permitted to resume active knitting.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that I have provided a novel knittingmachine needle of a simple construction which will perform the necessarywork with all of the advantages of the so-called latchless needles aswell as needles embodying pivoted latches.

Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit or thescope of this invention.

I claim:

l. A knitting machine needle consisting o-t a loop drawing melnberterminating at one end in a hook and a latch member slidably associatedtherewith, the said latch member being adapted to move relatively to andfrom loop drawing position with respect to the hook, the latch memberhaving a loop retaining shoulder adjacent to its hook closing end andsaid shoulder extending substantially at right angles to the directionsof movements ot the latch and loop drawing member said shoulder beinglocated, when the latch and loop drawing members are in hook closingposition, substantially opposite the point of the bill of the hook.

2. A knitting machine needle consisting of a loop drawing memberterminating at one end in a hook and alatch member slidably associatedtherewith, the said latch member being adapted to move relatively to andfrom loop drawing position with respect to the hook with the hookclosing portionI of the latch member moving in a substantially straightline undetlected laterally during such movements, the latch memberhaving a loop retaining shoulder adjacent to its hookI closing end andsaid shoulder extending substantially at right. angles to the directionsof movements ot the latch and'loop drawing member said shoulder beinglocated, when the latch and loop drawing members are in hook closingposition, substantially opposite the point of the bill of the hook.

3. A knitting machine needle consisting ofv a loopdrawing membertermina-ting at one end in a hook and a latch member slidably associatedtherewith` the said latch member being adapted to move relatively to andfrom loop drawing position with respect to the hook, the latch memberhaving a loop retain-V ing shoulder adjacent. to its hook closing endand said shoulder extending substantially at right angles 'to thedirections of movements of the. latch and loop drawing member and beinglocated, when the l-atch and loop drawing members are in hook closingposition, substantially opposite the point of the bill of the hook, andmeans consisting of butts on the. latch and loop drawing members adaptedto be engaged by cams, whereby to time the relative movements of thelatch and loop drawing members. malrAgknitting machine needle consistingot a lrldrwingsnen@ terminating at one end in a hook and alatchemberslidbll associated therewith, the said latch member beingadapted to move relatively to and from loop drawing position withrespect to tbe hook with the hook closing portion of the latch membermoving in a substantially straight line undeflected'laterally duringsuch movements, the latch member having a loop retaining shoulderadjacent to its hook closing end and said shoulder extendingsubstantially at right angles to the directions of movements of thelatch and loop drawing member and being located, when the latch and loopdrawing members are inhook closing position. substantiallyv opposite thepoint of the bill ot the hook. and means consisting of butts on thelatch and loop drawing members adapted to be engaged by cams, whereby totime the relative movements of the latch and loop drawing members.

ln testimony wht-reci l altx my signature.

AUGUs'r-IN GAGNE.

